Happy Birthday, One Piece!
by IIangelofmusicII
Summary: A series in which each major character in One Piece receives a drabble or one-shot on their respective birthdays! More details inside. Rated T for some mature themes. Spoilers will depend on each chapter. Latest Birthdays: Spandam
1. Jan 1- Jan List and Ace

He was sitting in one of the many dark storage rooms on the grand ship that easily dwarfed his former. He swallowed the impulse to punch the floorboards. That ship had been with him through most of his journey! As soon as he got the chance, he would kill the old geezer! How dare that Newgate fool... He forced himself to calm down a bit, telling himself that this was no way to celebrate. He crossed his legs and pulled out from his pocket the small package he had stolen earlier from the kitchen. It was a small, brown paper bag. In it contained his 'birthday cake'. Whoopee. He thought of all his previous birthdays with his crew. This would be the first year in a long time he would be celebrating without them. He frowned at the thought, but tore the bag open anyways. He pulled out the spongy bread that had been sitting in the bag, and cupped it in one hand. He took his finger and stabbed the 'cake', as was his tradition. The tip of his finger emerged from the other side of the bread. He lit the tip of his finger and watched as the small flame rose and illuminated the rest of the dark room. He felt a tear run down his cheek. He missed his nakama so, so much. He thought of the adventures they'd had, and he wondered if he'd ever be free again. Ace slowly opened his mouth and whispered 'Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me,' on the second 'Happy', his voice cracked, but he kept going. 'Happy Birthday dear A-Ace,' he stuttered, 'Happy Birthday to me.' He finished, his lower lip trembling as he allowed himself 3 more tears. Then 9. Then he broke into a quiet sob until he finally fell asleep.

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><p>A.N.: Sorry for the dreary beginning, but Happy New Year! Welcome to my newest series of fan fiction! In this series, I will be covering <span><em><strong>all<strong>_ the major One Piece character's birthdays! Each character will be given a drabble or one shot, and it will be posted on their respective birth dates. Just to inform you, the timeline will not be consistent, and I will place characters in various different settings and times. At the beginning of each month, I will post an Author's Note on the birthdays that will appear for that month. If you see that I have missed someone, please do not be afraid to call me out on it. A reminder, characters being covered must have had some, great impact on the arc in some, great way. Here is the list of characters being covered this month:

Jan 1- Ace

Jan 3- Aisa and Iceburg

Jan 8- Emporio Ivankov

Jan 10- Eustass Kid and Otohime

Jan 17- Capone Bege

Jan 27- Lola

Also, Happy Birthday to Oda-Sensei! Here's to a great year!


	2. Jan 2- Ace Follow Up

Ace was sleeping soundly in his soft, new, comfy bed. Admittedly, it had already been a month since he's agreed to be a Whitebeard pirate, but he still couldn't get over the cushiness of his new sleeping quarters. Perhaps it was because he'd spent the last year refusing any sort of hospitality from the Yonko. Granted, he'd slept on hardwood floors as as a child, but he and his brothers had always shared a futon. Now that he had a proper (as well as comfortable) resting place, the crew found it nearly impossible to shake him out of bed. The one exception being Thatch, the rest of his new Nakama would get a fiery punch in the face if they woke him up before noon. As was such, his days weren't very productive. However, today he _had_ to wake up early. So, the crew sent up Thatch to wake the birthday boy.

Now, Thatch was a bit nervous to be waking up the 'Fire Fist'. The crew had been celebrating at midnight for the New Year, and not only was the other commander exhausted, but he was also hungover, which made for a rather nasty combination. Thatch shifted his package to his left hand to quietly knock with his right on the door to Ace's room. When no one responded, he quietly turned the knob and entered. Thatch cringed at the sight before him. To Thatch, a naturally organized person, Ace's dumpster site of a room was a nuisance to enter, and ever a thing for Thatch to pester him about. Honestly, the boy's excuse of it being 'comforting, like back home' made Thatch wonder if the fire-user actually used to live in a dump. As Thatch picked his way through dirty underwear and busted weapons, the item he held in his hand wobbled as he tiptoed through the mess. He steadied himself, and finally made his way to Ace's headrest. The boy was drooling all over his pillow, and Thatch made a mental note to tease him about it later. As he looked over the fire-user's peaceful face, he began positioning himself for the first shot in what was to be a long fight. He held his package over Ace's face, and just as the boy breathed in, the pie went slamming down onto his face. The commander awoke with a start, and the pie dropped off his face, leaving a trail of cream and cherries. Thatch held his stomach in laughter, and would have started rolling around on the floor in hysteria if not for the fact that the floor was filthy and probably infested with a family of cockroaches. Ace snarled at the bread-haired man, and jumped out of bed.  
>"You think it's funny?!" He half slurred, pointing a finger at the still-hysterical Thatch. "I'll kill you!" He yelled as he prepared himself to pounce. Thatch, sensing the attack, figured he'd done his job, and raced out the door. Ace snarled and raced after him. The two's footsteps pounded through the hallways, and eventually reached the stairway to the main deck. Thatch raced up the stairs, and the rest of the crew prepared for the signal. When Ace finally reached the main deck, he looked around him to see his new Nakama holding cherry pies in each hand, ready to throw. Even Whitebeard himself was armed and ready to attack. Ace looked around him, stunned. The only thing he remembered was Whitebeard mock-saluting him before the insanity began.<br>"Sorry bout' this, brat," the great man said as he whipped his hand into a thumbs up. As their father gave them the signal, all hell broke loose on the Moby Dick.

Tens upon hundreds of pastries hit Ace all at once, some incinerated by his flame of rage, but most hitting various, un-ignited parts of his body. He was being bombarded, and he couldn't do anything about it. As sticky pie remnants hit the deck, Ace couldn't help it feel sorry for the poor fellow who was going to have to clean it all up. He scraped a bit off the deck to throw back at his attackers, but it did little good, as Whitebeard just deflected it back at him. He couldn't set himself completely on fire because he risked sending the ship up in flames, so all he could do was stand getting hit, and pray that his crew would suddenly be struck with a curse of terrible aim.

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><p>Hours after he'd cleaned himself off, he was summoned to Whitebeard's main office. He swung open the door, and strode in.<p>

"Yes?" he asked, leaning on the chair in front of Whitebeard's desk.

"Watch your manners, boy," Whitebeard snapped, reaching over and giving Ace a conk on the head. "Sit down, fool." Ace obliged, and pulled put the chair to sit down. He couldn't help but wonder what this was all about.

"Now look here, son," Whitebeard started, pointing his finger at Ace, "why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" The still slightly hungover Ace frowned, and tilted his head. It was his birthday? Oh yeah! New Year's Eve.

"Right, right," he muttered to himself, holding his head up with one hand.

"We had to find out from the Marines!" Whitebeard exclaimed, "Marco had to destroy a poor old captain's base for that little gem of information." Ace looked at him, his eyes drooping.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble, Newgate," he drawled, slumping forward in his seat.

"I told you to call me 'Old Man' you lazy ass," Whitebeard retorted, "and as for trouble, it would have been way less if you'd just told us!"

"Would you _not_ have thrown pies at me?"

"We'd have prepared even more. Ship tradition, first birthdays are pie days."

"Second birthdays?"

"You'll have to wait and see," Whitebeard said with a wink. "But why didn't you tell us?"

"It wasn't important," Ace said his eyes now drifting.

"Of course it's important, idiot!" Whitebeard boomed, "Now, I don't know how you used to run things on your old ship, but here, we're all family. We stand by each other, and celebrate accomplishments together."

"What's so great about living another year? Just more time for people to realize I'm not needed in this world." Ace hesitated a bit, sharing his biggest insecurity with his new captain was daunting, and he was afraid how he'd react.

"Your crew needs you," Whitebeard said, his eyes sad and his heart large for this son of his who'd never known parental love. "Your father needs you."

"Roger is a despicable, impulsive, dead fool" Ace spat, his eyes cold.

"Roger is not your father, I am," Whitebeard said, touching the desk with one finger. "You are my son. You are all my sons and daughters. We're family, Ace. You'll accept that with time, but right now, you need to know we all support you."

Ace's mouth trembled, and he looked down. Whitebear saw tears fall from his face onto his hands, but he decided not to say anything about it.

"Thank you..." whispered Ace, his words strained and quiet. Whitebeard placed a hand on the boy's head, and they sat there, taking comfort in just each other's presence.

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><p>A.N: As requested by frappyrouge123, a follow up to yesterday's post. I think if I'm asked to do follow ups, I will, because I enjoy placing characters in different situations, but I can only write if I have time. Reviews, Subscriptions, and Favourites are much appreciated. Thank you for you time, and see you tomorrow for Iceburg and Aisa!<p> 


	3. Jan 3- Iceburg and Aisa

The Natives didn't really celebrate birthdays. It required too many resources, and most were things they didn't have. If they did have them, they wouldn't be used for such _trivial_ and _indulgent_ affairs. Aisa sighed. Even Laki agreed that Wiper was too strict on these sorts of things. Really, you'd think their leader might allow a few exceptions now and then.

"If one person has it, the others must have it too," Aisa remembered the chief saying, "equality is the basis of our nation. We are one and the same."

Sensible as it may have been, Aisa couldn't help but feel that, in the midst of a revoloution, the Natives could really use something to rally their spirits. Aside from that, she was also indulging her own selfish desire to feel special for once, instead of being brushed aside like she always was…

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><p>Iceburg awoke to Tyrannosaurus's squeaking. As he scratched the little mouse behind it's ear, he began to smile. It was the first smile he'd had on this day in a long time. Over worrying for Flam, Tom's Workers, and Water 7 in general, he'd almost never gotten a day of rest. But today, today was a day for relaxation. Franky, as Flam now preferred to be called, was off adenturing with the Straw Hat. Tom's Workers had been purged of any spies, and Water 7 was thriving. All was right with his world. He got dressed, placed the still-squealing mouse into his breast pocket, and made his way towards the dining room. A grand wooden table graced the middle of the room, and a large window in the room overlooked the work areas, allowing him to keep an eye on his employees. Even if it was his day off, the company still needed to be managed.<p>

'I suppose I'm never _really_ allowed to relax' he thought, as he walked towards his chair. He sat down at the grand table, and his assistant placed an intricately decorated puff pastry in front of him. It looked delectable. He was about to dig in when he heard a large **BANG** come from outside. He dropped his fork, and ran towards the window. He there saw that one of the cranes had dropped a large bundle of wood in the wrong area. He pulled out his baby Den Den Mushi, and dialed Paulie.

"What's up, Boss?" Paulie asked nervously.

"What's going on out there?" Iceburg asked in return.

"Nothing!" Paulie shouted, eager to allow their boss at least _one_ day of rest. "We're all good out here! Yup! All good!" he chuckled, still nervously.

Iceburg frowned, and observed Tilestone trying to gather some of the fallen beams, only to trip and fling them all over the place once more.

"Are you sure?" Iceburg questioned once more.

"Positive," Paulie responded. Iceburg sighed and hung up, putting the snail back into his pocket. He watched them struggle a bit more, and finally just couldn't take it. He proceeded to the exit, and threw on his hardhat. Relaxation could wait. He grinned as he opened the door and headed outside.

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><p>A.N: Hi! Hope Aisa's bit wasn't too short. She was a bit tricky to write, because the arc was so long ago, I had to refer to the wiki quite a bit. Reviews, Subscriptions and Favourites are much appreciated. I'll see you on January 8th for Emporio Ivankov!<p> 


	4. Jan 8- Emporio Ivankov

Ivankov sighed as he got out of bed. Another year had gone by without much progress. Dragon had been gone for nearly a year now to god-knows-where, and he had put Ivankov in charge of the revoloution. It was pretty upseting. The mircale-worker's birthday, and noone probably even remembered. He trodded to his mirror, and with another, even more dramatic sigh, he transformed himself into a woman. Usually this would have made her a bit more peppy and cheerful, but as she gazed over her (ridiculously voluptuous) curves, she felt nothing but distaste. With no energy or motivation to switch back, she got dressed, and walked out into the office. She sat in the chair at Dragon's desk, not caring for it's hard and sturdy wood that came with such _heavy_ expectations of leadership. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair, and held her cheek in her hand. Last year had been so much more exciting! They'd gone to Dragon's hometown, helped several refugees escape from a fire, and even picked up a promising new member! But this year…This year had been simply **BORING**. Though she knew she shouldn't, she wished _someone_ would cause _some_ trouble, just to stir things up. Suddenly, Inazuma burst into the room carrying a large covered plate and a newspaper.

"Ma'am!" he saluted, placing the newspaper on the plate to raise his hand to his forehead. "We have news of a new Yonko!"

Ivankov rose suddenly, shocked. There hadn't been a new Yonko since Roger was executed. Inazuma placed the plate on the table, and handed Ivankov the newspaper. He uncovered the plate, and a small fork and chocolate cake appeared. Ivankov's favorite. He gave the Okama Queen a small smile before continuing.

"They call him Akagami no Shanks," he said, "apparently he used to be a cabin boy on the Oro Jackson."

Ivankov stabbed the cake with a grin. Maybe this _Akagami-boy_ would stir things up sooner than she thought.

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><p>This one was really fun to write; Ivankov is one of my favourite characters. Reviews, Subscriptions, and Favourites are much appreciated. Thank you for your time and see you on Jan 10th for Eustass Kidd and Otohime!<p> 


	5. Jan 10- Eustass and Otohime

10,000,000 Berry. That was all that separated him from that idiot Straw Hat. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. He _needed_ to be the best. The title of Pirate King would only belong to the best. 10,000,000 was easy to catch up to. Straw Hat could have him beat any day. He snarled as he threw a dart at the smiling boy's WANTED poster. At that very moment, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he growled, already certain he knew who it was.

"Kid," Killer began as he entered, "the people are throwing a party in your honor."

Eustass smiled cruelly.

"They seem to know how to respect their new emperor," he sneered.

They had conquered the Beeougul people just the day before. While the rest of the world seemed to think him cruel, Eustass knew that _his_ way was the _best_ way. Fear was stronger than Respect. Much stronger. He rose from his seat, and walked out the door, spreading his arms wide. He admired the scene before him. A large feast had been prepared, and a table for Kid's crew was being set up. He descended the tree house's steps, and took his place at the head of the table. The seat of power. The seat that governed this village, and ensured him a territory once he became a Yonko. From there, all that was left was to conquer the Raftel, and the Grand Line would be his! He couldn't understand why those other idiots that stood at the top refused to take any action.

While Kid mused on the several reasons, he was served a large plate of meats and cheese, the island's specialty. As he bit into a particularly juicy piece of beef, Eustass contemplated the Yonko's actions up until now. Red-Hair was hardly taking action, and seemed completely content with his current standing. Teach was anxious for power, though noone knew why. The same went for Kaido. Big Mam was just a gluttonous hag who was exploiting the islands she'd claimed for candy. Kid only had to usurp one of them, and then he would be golden. He was impatient, but he knew he had to take it one step at a time. So for the time being, he would just enjoy his birthday feast, and anticipate an even larger one next year, as a stronger, even more powerful person.

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><p>Otohime woke up to a breakfast in bed, prepared by her lovely sons.<p>

"You work too hard, Mother," they chorused, chiding her. "Let us take care of _you _for once!"

Otohime gave them a small smile as she took a sip of the starfruit juice they'd brought her. Her campaigning was going exceptionally well, and was well on the way to success. She didn't want to stop now, but she knew her sons wouold never let her work today. So she'd decided the night before she would enjoy this day, and get back to her campaign as soon as possible. She finished her breakfast, and quickly got dressed.

She wandered around the palace for a while, and met with some of her chambermaids. It was nice to talk with other women, but they didn't treat her as their equal. She'd offered to help them with their work, but they adamantly refused, saying it was 'beneath her'. She'd been so busy with campaigning for the next World Summit that she hadn't even realized that she was lonely. Yes, she had her children and her husband, but she didn't have a trusted confidante, someone she could _really_ talk to in times of need. She supposed it couldn't be helped, and went on her way once again.

After a while of swimming around and admiring the palace, she felt that something was off. She hadn't seen many guards all day, and had only seen her sons once during breakfast. It was so quiet, that she soon became restless, and frantically returned to her room to find a novel to read.

She returned to her room, and found a package wrapped with brown paper and tied with a string. She smiled, knowing that the simplistic gift came from her husband, who knew best of her simplistic tastes. It made her feel warm inside that, even though her husband was busy, he still found time to care. Inside the package were assorted books and novels, all written by explorers in the overworld. She wrapped a robe around her, and sipped on a hot mug of tea as she read about fierce dragons and beautiful princesses. She'd just about reached the ending, and had reached an intense part when she heard a knock at the door. She sighed, and marked her place in the book before bobbing over to the door.

"Yes?" she asked, opening the door just the slightest.

"Happy birthday, Mama!" chorused her sons, presenting her with a large box filled with paper. She opened the door wider, and beckoned them in. Fukaboshi handed her the box, and she set it down on her bed. Her sons sat at her feet expectantly, urging her to read the paper. She picked a slip out of the box, and read aloud.

"Midori Usui. Konako Tesuta. Yuki Kataosume," she said, beginning to recognize what the boys had done.

"They're signatures!" exclaimed Manboshi, delighted at the smile that was growing on his beloved mother's face. "For your petition! And I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, the guards accompanied us to make sure we were safe. Anyways, we know how much it means to you, so we went out today and campaigned for you"

"You sure did!" Otohime declared, digging her hands into the wonderful box, filled with the love and hope of her people.

"Shirahoshi said she wanted to come, but she knew she couldn't," said Ryuboshi, "so she stayed behind and wished us luck."

Otohime smiled, thinking of her youngest cheering on her older brothers. They'd worked so hard for her, and they'd done it reaping no reward. Selfless and kind, they would truly rule the kingdom well one day.

"You've done me all proud," she said, embracing her children. "I'll be back to it tomorrow, though."

"Can we help?" Fukaboshi asked timidly. Otohime's smile couldn't have grown wider as she exclaimed, "Of course you can!" and kissed them all fervently on their cheeks. What great children she had! What great leaders they would turn out to be one day!

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><p>I hope I portrayed Eustass fairly. He's an awesome character to work with. In contrast, Otohime's part had lots of fluff. Tons of fluff. Anyways, Reviews, Subscriptions, and Favourites are much appreciated. See you next time on January 17th for Capone Bege!<p> 


	6. Jan 17- Capone Bege

Bege felt old. He knew he was only _just_ turning 40 today, but he could almost predict that his bones would start creaking when the clock hit midnight. He stuck one of his cigars in his mouth, and strode onto the deck. At least age came with respect. As he stepped out of the doorway, immediately his entourage gathered around him. Not exactly blocking his path, but just crowding his space. He'd instilled a deep sense of respect for himself in these buffoon's brains, and he wouldn't let 'em forget it. If they got too close, he'd lunch 'em. He straightened his tie, and proceeded. His crew followed. He cracked his knuckles. His crew cracked theirs. He adjusted his solid gold rings. Those of his crew who _had _ rings did the same, and those who didn't just played with their fingers.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" he snarled, whipping his head back to look at his foolish men. One stepped forward sheepishly.

"We're just tryin' to be like you, Father," he said, twisting his rings.

"Gimme 'dem rings," Bege snapped, thrusting his hand towards the newbie. The man took off his rings and dropped them in Bege's palm. Bege examined them, looking to see if they had any value. Picking a few of them out of his palm, he flung the rest over board.

"There can only be one of me, ya hear?" he shouted. "Respect does not mean mimicry you fools!"

The crew nodded their heads, and shuffled off. Bege sighed. 'Youngsters these days…' he thought, and stuck one of the pocketed rings on his own finger.

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><p>A.N.: *sigh* I know I'm late. My mother shares her birthday with Bege, and you know how they are. I couldn't get on my computer all day. Anyways, here's the extremely short drabble. Sorry, I just don't feel like we have enough information about Bege to really make a one-shot. But he's an awesome character, and I hope Odacchi uses him soon! Reviews, Favourites, and Subscriptions are much appreciated. See you on January 27th for Lola!<p> 


	7. Jan 27- Lola

Honestly, you'd think she was poison or something! Was she really that unlikeable? I mean, was she _that_ unattractive? It had been 203 proposals, and all of them rejected. By now, she was getting pretty desperate.

"You there!" she shouted to a random stranger, "It's my birthday!"

The man looked at her with a dull expression on his face.

"Happy birthday then," he said, and continued walking to work. Lola ran up to him again, and started walking beside him.

"You know what would be the best present ever?" she asked, hoping he would agree. "If you would marry me," she finished, jumping in front of him, and bending down onto one knee. The man thrusted his left hand in front of her to show off a silver wedding band.

"Sorry," he stated, and continued on to work. Lola sighed and thought to herself 'Maybe tomorrow…' as she walked back to the ship.

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><p>A.N: Short and sweet, really just a drabble. So that's the last of our January birthdays! Reviews, Favorites, and Follows are much appreciated. See you on Feb. 1 for our new month's list, and I assure you, it's a long one!<p> 


	8. Feb 1- Feb List and Broggy

Back and forth, year after year they fought. Losing track of days, time was but a thing of the past. Months had no meaning, days were never known. They knew no more how old he was. Nor could they say the exact dawn that celebrated his coming in to this world. But when the frost melted, and the days grew longer, they somehow knew Broggy's day of birth was near. However, it would change nothing. Not the force with which Dorry slammed his sword down onto Broggy's shield. Not the strength Broggy demonstrated in fending off Dorry's attacks. No, they never faltered. And still year after year, month after month, nothing changed.

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><p>Hey all! Welcome to the second month of the year, February. Yes! Welcome to the month of love, and the month of many, many birthdays!(Seriously, I think Oda has an obsession with Feb)Today, for instance, we celebrated the giant Broggy's birthday! As well as on Feb 6, we celebrate our first Straw Hat birthday with Robin! Here's this month's birthday list:<p>

Feb 1- Broggy

Feb 2- Vivi and Killer

Feb 3- Brownbeard

Feb 4- Fukaboshi/ Elder Nyon

Feb 6- Nico Olvia and Robin

Feb 9- Bartholomew Kuma and Shanks

Feb 15- Big Mam

Feb 20- Kumadori

Feb 23- Makino

So that's the (extremely long) list. There'll be a birthday pretty much every 3 days, at the most 5. I implore you, please, tell everyone in the fandom about this fic.! Birthdays are meant to be celebrated, and this fic. is the one that'll do it!

As always, Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are all welcomed and appreciated! I hope to see you tomorrow for Vivi and Killer!


	9. Feb 2- Vivi and Killer

'Kind-hearted and warm' her people called her. 'A selfless girl fit to be queen one day'. But at this moment, Vivi felt so selfish she could have bursted. She stared out the window and sighed. She wanted her friends to come back. She wanted to spend more time with them. She wanted to have more adventures. But she knew, as much as she wanted, it would never happen. The Straw Hats were off galivanting in the New World, and all the news she ever heard from them was public. The Straw Hats claiming Fishman Island. The Straw Hats wreaking havoc in Dressrosa. The Straw Hats challenging one of the Yonko. She loved hearing about them, but she so desperately wanted to know the smaller, more intimate details. The details that were never printed. The details that made her Nakama unlike any other crew traveling the Grand Line. She longed to laugh at Usopp's jokes, and discuss beauty products with Nami. She yearned for for Sanji's cooking, which topped that of any chef in the palace. She craved a quiet and peaceful moment with Zoro, and she lusted for the days where she knew nothing but silence.

Now, the palace was bustling with activity, and Vivi hardly had a moment to herself. It'd been almost a week that she'd seen Father, and his officials were always rushing around too. She had plenty on her plate as well. Not that she minded too much. She'd known as soon as she was born that the voice of a nation was loud but hard to hear. It was Vivi's job to decipher that voice, and project it into one, clear tone. Which was pretty difficult, considering the people of Alabasta were rather strongly opinionated. All day she would read letters upon letters of complaints, and it killed her that she couldn't just take her beautiful country in her hands, and heal it in an instant. Crocodile had caused so much hurt, and she just wanted it to all go away. But even Chopper couldn't instantly fix so many broken hearts, spirits, and hopes. Some would say Vivi was naïve, but she _knew_ that her country, her people, could be strong. She just had to give them hope. She needed to extend that hand for them to grab onto. For those who latched on, she would do anything in her power to pull them out of the deep pit they'd fallen into. It was difficult, knowing that many were too broken and untrusting to ever take hold of the Nerfertari's hands again. The king and his daughter held much blame upon their shoulders, a lot of which was unjustified. But Vivi didn't mind. She would much rather them blame her than each other. There'd been enough fighting in this country already.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock on her door. Without even looking, she knew immediately who it was.

"Come in, Pell," she said, not moving an inch from her window.

"Hello, Princess Vivi," said Pell, "how are you today?"

Vivi made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a laugh.

"Well," she began, "In the last 4 hours, there have been 32 reports of protests against the monarch and his family, 13 incidents of compulsive and neurotic water-stealing, and more than 50 pirates-for-hire found to be hired by Neslea Kingdom to assasinate Father. And this is in the capital alone."

Vivi could almost hear the smile in Pell's voice.

"It grieves me so that you have been so caught up in your work that you've forgotten a major event that is taking place today. I'll just leave the notice here for you, and you may examine it at your leisure."

"Thank you Pell," replied Vivi, blowing a strand of hair off her face. She heard Pell shut the door behind him, and she turned around to see a white box sitting on her bed. Curious, she untied the red ribbon holding it together, and the box unfolded to reveal a little cake, deorated with icing flowers and a chocolate placard. The placard read 'Happy Birthday Vivi! Love Daddy, Igaram, Chaka, Kohza, Carue and Pell'. A separate piece of paper stood apart from all of this. She unfolded the paper, and gasped. It was a note from all the Straw Hats, wishing her Happy Birthday. Even the new ones Vivi didn't know. She recognized Luffy's messy scrawl, and Nami's neat printing. Usopp's dramatic curves, and Zoro's stick straight lines. And all of Sanji's tittles* replaced with little hearts. Why, she even remembered Ms. All Sunday's cursive writing, having worked at Baroque for so long. A large grin started to grow on Vivi's face, slowly taking over her features until she was just one, big ball of happiness. It seemed that, no matter how far the Straw Hats were, and no matter how busy her loved ones are, they would always find time for her, and she supposed that's what mattered most after all.

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><p>One had to be a little insane to join the Kid Pirates. Maniacs they were, tromping around in their big black boots and crushing whoever came in their paths. Their captain, Eustass Kid, was probably the most psychotic out of all of them. Undeniably strong, his eyes blazed with a static fire everytime he killed a new opponent, so Killer tried not to let him do it. He would always step in, scythes in hand, and push off the offenders. He would cringe each time he saw blood, knowing it was his fault and that he had caused them pain, but if it kept Eustass quiet and them alive, it was well worth it. Sure, the redhead would complain about it, saying 'Why'd you step in?' and 'I can handle this!' and Killer had no doubt he could. But if Kid led all the crew on a rampage, no one, not even Blackbeard himself, could stop them.<p>

So Killer was the straight man. And he didn't mind. Every crew needed a straight man. Someone to pull them back from the brink of insanity. Someone to tell them that ravenous murder wasn't the way to go. Loyal to his captain, Killer would serve him to no end, and if that meant keeping him stable and anchored, he would do so without hesitation.

* * *

><p>A.N.: I love Vivi. She is just <em>such<em> a darling. And Killer was a bit hard; we haven't got much information on him, so I did more reflection than really situational like in Vivi's part. But I think it turned out well! Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and appreciated. I'll see you tomorrow for Brownbeard!


	10. Feb 3- Brownbeard

He mourned for the days when he'd ruled the seas, and conquered island after island. Hawkins had crushed him, well beyond defeat. He'd humiliated him, and taken both of Brownbeard's legs as his reward. Shamed beyond repair, he and his crew had sulked all the way to Punk Hazard, and found refuge there. Granted, he'd been taught an important lesson, but at a very costly price. Luckily, Law had fixed him and his crew, but they were still rehabilitating. He struggled to move his new reptilian legs; they were pushing against his might. The legs were being stubborn, and hadn't budged an inch. It was turning out to be a very bad day. He was one of the last ones to complete his rehabilitation.

"Your bulk requires a bigger moving force," he remembered the gas man saying, "unfortunately, the only force we have in our stock are crocodiles, and they're one of the more difficult ones. You'll just have to deal."

There were some days when he just felt like giving up, and just ending his life right then and there. But his crew needed him. And if there was one thing Basil Hawkins had taught him, it was that camaraderie and friendship were important, and he couldn't abandon his crew just yet.

* * *

><p>A.N.: A bit later than usual, but it's here! Tomorrow might be a bit late too, just warning you. Brownbeard turns out to be such a good guy, and that's what I love about him. Anyways, Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you tomorrow for Fukaboshi and Elder Nyon!<p> 


	11. Feb 4- Elder Nyon and Fukaboshi

Gloriosa had had enough of Hancock's foolishness.

"Nyo nyo! Absolutely nyot! You are forbinyon to see him, Snake Princess!"

"How dare you!" replied Hancock, "You're nothing but a foolish old woman! Who are you to tell me if I can see my love or not?!"

Gloriosa shook her head. Hancock had no idea how strong the love sickness _really_ was. One glimpse of Luffy, and she'd have to start her curing all over again!

"I'm telling nyou! It'll become evenyon worse! You have to stay away from Straw Hat! Nyow, why don't we do something a bit more productive?"

"And what would you suggest?" sneered the Snake Princess.

"How about nyou make a cake?"

Hancock cheered up immediately and threw on an apron.

"Mmm… Should I make it meat-flavoured? Luffy really loves meat, doesn't he?"

Gloriosa resisted the urge to slap the Empress upside her head.

"Nyot for Luffy! Haven't nyou been listenying to a word I've been saynying? Nyou can't see him right nyow!"

Hancock sulked.

"Then what's the point of making a stupid cake?"

"For me! Make a cake for me!" cried the Elder. Hancock gave Gloriosa a deathly look.

"And why would you be deserving of one of my delicious cakes?"

Gloriosa resisted the urge to laugh. Hancock's cakes were terrible; she'd only begged the Elder to teach her so she could make cake for Luffy.

"Humour me, nyokay?" said the Elder, silently snickering under her breath.

"Fine," Hancock muttered, and set about preparing for a cake.

* * *

><p>Around 4 fires, 6 burns, and many broken eggs later, the Empress had finally managed to scrounge together a decent looking cake.<p>

"Here," she said, tossing Gloriosa the least burnt slice. She launched a fork at the former Empress, who caught it skillfully between 2 fingers.

"If we're done here, I'll be going then," she said, striding towards the exit of the kitchen. Gloriosa looked at the cake dissapointedly, scraping the burnt pieces with her fork. As Hancock passed by the Elder, Gloriosa felt her hair being pushed back behind her ear.

"Happy birthday, Nyon-baa," whispered Hancock, hugging her surrogate mother before sashaying out of the room.

* * *

><p>He hated that she never smiled. And he hated that he couldn't wipe those sorrowful tears off her cheeks. What he would do to see Shirahoshi laugh once more. Not only would it have been a personal pleasure to hear and see, it would keep the island safe. The longer she stayed like this…. No, he couldn't even consider that possibility. He'd tried to be brave, for his family, but inside he felt like a failure. He'd failed to protect his darling little sister, and he didn't deserve to be called her big brother. And he was scared that she would think so as well.<p>

* * *

><p>A.N.: I know Fukaboshi's part was short, but I became too focused on Elder Nyon. I love her so much, she is such a good character, and I feel like Oda is preparing her to be critical in something big. I kinda wanted to see Hancock in a loving daughter position too, so I had to work a little harder on that to figure it out. Plus, I did quite a bit of dialogue, so I wanted to balance it out a bit. But nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed! Reviews, Favourites, Follows, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you on Feb. 6th for Nico Olvia and Robin!<p> 


	12. Feb 6- Nico Olvia and Robin

Olvia rushed back and forth, trying to locate the distant sound. It bounced off bookshelfs and buried itself in the ancient parchments. It rang through the library, clear as a bell and distinct as a horn. Olvia began her rounds of the tables. She checked them all until finally, finally she found Robin. Her baby was curled up in her blanket, and was whining without stop. Olvia mentally slaped herself, and picked Robin up, cradling her.

"Shhh…" she whispered, cooing in Robin's ear. "I'm sorry sweet one, I found a promising lead, and carelessly dropped everything to follow it. Mother can really be absent-minded sometimes. I know it's not fair to you, but be patient with me, dearest. I'm close, I know it."

Robin stopped crying and opened her eyes wide. Olvia was delighted to see that blue gleam, one of the two things that hadn't come from her. It would make her cry sometimes, and memories of her lover would flood through her. But ultimately, Olvia loved those sky blue orbs and how they glistened.

Though she could not speak, Olvia knew her little Robin was absorbing so much. Surrounded constantly by knowledge, she often caught her little girl examining the bookshelves intently. It would be insane to assume that the infant could already read, but Olvia couldn't help but fell that this indeed was the case.

"A scholar already, aren't you?" Olvia murmured, and Robin giggled softly. Olvia smiled and set Robin back down on the table. She pulled up a chair and cracked open one of the many ancient tomes. It was an old poem, written in a forgotten language. The scholars of Ohara were the only ones who had managed to decipher it. Olvia especially held a deep connection to the scripture, for it was her who had translated it.

"When the fire red dawn meets the great blue sea, you'd think that they might clash," she read, glancing over quickly at Robin, who had curled up in her blanket.

"Yet they don't, and touch is beyond them," Olvia continued, her tongue longing for more beautiful words to escape her mouth, reveling in the rhythm.

"They weep, the sea and the sky, never knowing the other's embrace. The sky holds fleetingly the sea's water, but the drops must always return to the ocean. The sea captures the dawn's color in it's depths, but never for too long. The poor souls stare at each other all day, longing for a glimpse of happiness. They know not if there will be a day when they might finally clasp each other's hands, and rejoice in a true meeting at last."

She finished the poem, wishing desperately there was an ending. The script was said to have been a prophecy, and was recited for 101 days, a word a day until the priest fainted from fatigue. The prophecy's ending was lost, and the priest spent the rest of his life praying for Kami to bless him with an ending. Finally, driven insane, the priest had starved himself to death, claiming the prophecy shall affect no one, and is not complete, though really it had just not been completely prophecized.

Through a strange turn of events, Olvia marveled at how something was so nonchalantly cast aside when now, was the key to uncovering a great mystery. 'History may repeat itself,' she thought, 'but Man's actions can never be replicated.'

Robin had seemingly drifted off during all of this, and her eyes were glazed. But the child's brow was furrowed as intently as her mother's. It truly was foolish to say that a mere babe could comprehend the deeper meaning behind the text, but Olvia was positive that that certain scripture had struck a chord with the infant. She was sure of it, her child was special, but only time would eventually tell all. That was something Olvia only knew too well.

* * *

><p>A.N.: And that's our first Straw Hat birthday! I love Robin, and I love her past. I wish we knew more about her, but all the better for me because I get to fill in the blanks for myself :-) Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you on Feb 9th for Bartholomew Kuma and Red Haired Shanks!<p> 


	13. Feb 9- Bartholomew Kuma

Kuma hated being spoiled. But Ivankov had insisted.

"Such a hard worker deserves a great reward, right Kuma-boy?"

So that's why he found himself as Shabaody Amusement Park on of his off day.

"Ivankov," Kuma muttered, "this is too risky. What if we get seen?"

Ivankov looked at him and grinned.

"Well that's why I brought these!" he exclaimed, whipping out a set of fakes noses and glasses. Kuma stared at the glasses, and Pawed them out of Ivankov's hand. Instantly, they dissapeared.

"If you didn't like them, you could have just told me…" muttered Ivankov, "Poor Sa-boy was made an errand boy to go get these. You must apologize to him when we get back. Anyways, I brought these as backup!" Ivankov whipped out 2 birthday hats, each saying 'Happy Birthday Bartholomew Kuma!'. Kuma Pawed those away as well.

"Now that," said Ivankov, "is unforgivable. I had those specially made.

"Please, Emporio," said Kuma, "if you insist on doing this, make it quick. Remember, 1 ride and 1 ride only. So choose wisely."

So they began to look around the park. They walked for hours, but nothing seemed to be _just right_. Their visit was turning out to be exactly what Kuma _didn't_ want. Long, and time-consuming. The okama queen just couldn't make up his mind. Finally, Ivankov stopped in front of a colossal structure, and grinned at Kuma.

"This is the one, Kuma-boy!" he exclaimed. "Let's go for it, shall we?"

The two close-to-giants were crammed into a tiny little cart at the very front, and forced into barely-closing seatbelts. Kuma felt even larger just by looking at the tiny children in carts of their own. Suddenly, the ride began to jerk forwards. Kuma held on tightly, NOT out of fear, but at the fact that he didn't want to create commotion if he were *gulp* flung out of his seat. He tried to convince himself this was the reason, and he wasn't actually wasn't scared, but he didn't dare look down, and he closed his eyes halfway up the slope. Meanwhile, Ivankov was getting pumped with adrenaline, and was eager for the ride to reach the top. The carts finally began slowing down as they reached the grand pinacle of the roller coaster. Kuma forced himself to open his eyes, and saw that the cart was just barely tilting over the edge of the peak. Suddenly, the carts were yanked forward by gravity, and they began speeding towards the ground. Kuma felt Ivankov pulling at his wrists, and out of nowhere, both of his arms were flung up into the air. He had never felt so terrified yet excited in his life. He didn't dare make a sound as the ride ran through its turns and loops, its ins and outs, but internally, he was screaming. Of course, Ivankov didn't hold back, and was screaming enough for the both of them. It was times like these when Kuma really didn't mind having such a rambunctious companion. Ivankov's energy was infectious, and Kuma was getting a full blast of it.

The ride finally came to a screeching halt, and the two not-quite-giants got off. Kuma could hear a few kids grumbling about the 'crummy view', and he felt a bit bad, but he'd determined he wouldn't be going again anyways, so that wouldn't be a problem. He'd just walked out the exit when he felt a tug on his coat. Attached to the bottom of his coat was a small hand, connected to a small boy.

"Hey mister," the boy whined, "you know I've been on that roller coaster a gajillion times, and it never went that fast? I think you did something to it, so can you do it again?"

Kuma remained silent throughout this exchange, but gave a glance at Ivankov. They both knew what had happened; their weights had greatly increased the speed of the ride. Ivankov gave a pointed look at Kuma. 'It's your decision' he seemed to say, tilting his head questioningly. Nearly imperceptibly, Kuma gave a small nod, and the boy jumped up in glee. 'I suppose one more ride couldn't hurt' he thought, as the boy dragged him back into the line.

* * *

><p>A.N.: Yay! Ok, so I'm really proud with how my Kuma one-shot turned out. I can just imagine Ivankov screaming his head off, and Kuma remaining stoic the whole time. In any case, Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! I'll see you on Feb 15th for Big Mam!<p> 


	14. Feb 15- Big Mam AKA Charlotte Linlin

Really, if nothing else, the Yonko loved her sweets. Whitebeard could keep his rambunctious family; Kaido could keep his wild beasts; Blackbeard could suck up all the power he craved; and Shanks could do whatever the hell he wanted with his Nakama. Just give Charlotte Linlin her goddamn candy, and she'd be happy. She was not, however, a simple woman when it came to these sorts of things. Mindlessly chowing down on sugary goodness was just _not_ the way to go. She'd always said, 'quality over quantity'. The best ingredients made the best bonbons. But when she became a Yonko, she finally considered the question 'Why not both?'. Quality ingredients producing quality candy in the masses seemed like an excellent idea. It was completely doable by exploi—Managing her territories properly. Hell, the islands under her protection were getting a pretty good deal out of this whole thing! Why, for the low, low price of 10 tonnes of candy per month, they'd gain her patronage and supervision! And it'd worked! It'd worked for a long, long time until that idiot Straw Hat had taken over Fishman Island, wreaking havoc amongst the factory workers. He'd not only stolen one of her favorite candy producers, but he'd mocked her and publicly challenged her!

"Well I'll have you know that Charlotte Linlin does not back down from _ANY _ challenges!" she bursted out, knocking over her glass of cider, "Not even stupid ones from brainless idiots!"

Linlin smiled, remembering a time when she was once a rookie herself. Naïve, dauntless, impressionable. And then she'd gotten her wake up call. Well, more like a wake up slap. In an instant, little Charlotte realized she was just a tiny fish in a big old ocean. Linlin decided that she was going to be that slap in the face to Straw Hat. The brat needed a reality check, and boy was she was going to give it to him!

* * *

><p>A.N.: I kinda like toying with Big Mam's personality design, since Oda's still shrouding her in mystery. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you on Feb 20th for Kumadori!<p> 


	15. Feb 20- Kumadori

"Yoyoyoyoi!" shouted Kumadori, holding a leg up into the sky. He balanced himself on his other leg, holding his arm outsretched to his lifted toes. "Yoyoyoi!" he shouted, slowly pressuring energy to the tips of hair.

"YOYOI!" he bursted, forcing the tendrils of pink to stretch out each way and latch on to the poles that surrounded him. As he felt the grip of his tresses strengthening, he slowly lifted his weight off his leg. As he rised into the air, he closed his right eye shut. But as hard as he was focusing, his energy was failing him, and he just couldn't keep it up. He tumbled to the ground, and braced himself for the lash that was to follow. As expected, the whip cracked and he felt a sharp pain shoot up his leg.

He winced, but he didn't dare scream.

"What the hell was that?!" yelled his intstructor, punching him in the head. Kumadori held back his tears, knowing that the retribution would be worse than this verbal pain.

"3 months!" screamed his instructor, "3 months and what have you learned!? NOTHING I say, NOTHING! In that time alone, Lucci's already a full-blown agent"

Whipping a knife out of nowhere, his instructor handed it him.

"Now, Tekkai practice. GO!"

Kumadori held the knife in front of his stomach,

"I have gravely dishonored my families' name," he began, "now, to receive forgiveness from my comrades, I shall join my beloved mother in the after-"

"SPARE ME THE THEATRICS!" yelled his instructor.

With a pout, he tensed his muscles, and stabbed himself. The knife bounced off his torso, but he held his breath, biting his lip from the minor pain. His instructor made a few notes and then walked towards the door.

"You are dismissed for today," said his instructor at the doorway, "You are of no use to CP9 yet, and you have not improved in months. I hope tomorrow will be different."

Kumadori sighed and crossed his legs. He pondered on the meaning of justice. Isn't that what all this work was for? Justice? He believed in the word, but it had so many different meanings that varied from person to person so he didn't know what it was he believed in. And did that really matter? Was it such a big deal?

* * *

><p>A.N.: Some angsty young CP9 training. Kumadori was a weird character to work with. I feel like he'd be one of the inner good guys. But then CP9 just warped him around. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you on Feb. 20th for Makino!<p> 


	16. Feb 23- Makino

They were growing up much too quickly for Makino's liking. Ace was already preparing to set off to sea, and Luffy would be doing the same in 2 years. Makino would be stuck in Foosha for the rest of her life, dreaming about adventures in the big blue. Shanks had been terrible for her imagination. Tales of giant goldfish and islands in the sky did nothing to quench her thirst for exploration. She implored Ace to report back to her whenever he could, having lost Shanks' monthly greetings years ago. The bastard stopped mailing her letters as soon as he entered the Grand Line. The only news she'd heard from him had come only a few months ago, when he'd announced his declining the offer of Shichibukai. Despite him being a pirate, the whole town had cheered for him. The World Government and the Navy were a nasty business to get involved with; the Goa Kingdom knew that much too well. Shanks was a good man, and Makino knew he was just busy doing what she wished she could. But seriously, 10 years! She made a mental note to remind Ace to kick Shanks' butt after thanking him for taking care of Luffy. She began humming a small sea tune she remembered the Red-Hairs singing. _Binkusu no sake o, todoke ni yuku yo, _she recalled the lyrics going. How she remembered that from 10 years ago, she had no idea. But maybe, deep inside, she knew it would always be her waving goodbye from the docks. Handkerchief in hand, and tears flowing from her eyes. And, she supposed, she was ok with that. Her boys could go out for her, and have adventures of their own. She'd be with them in spirit, always keeping a close eye on them. What did it matter what she couldn't do? It mattered only what she could.

* * *

><p>A.N.: I like the idea of Makino being a secret adventurer at heart : ) This was the last February birthday! Can you believe it? We're already almost 3 months in! And boy is March gonna be good! Odacchi has a HUGE obsession with March; 2 of the Strawhats in one month will be tricky! Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you next time for March's birthday list!<p> 


	17. Mar 1- Mar List

Hi everyone! And welcome to the third month of 'Happy Birthday, One Piece'! Now, if you think February was a big month, look at what we have for March:

March 2- Sanji

March 3- Mr. 3 (Galdino)

March 4- Alvida

March 6- Jagaur D. Saul

March 8- Zambai

March 9- Mihawk and Franky

March 10- Sentomaru

March 11- Spandam

March 14- Smoker

March 16- Tom

March 19- Scratchmen Apoo

March 20- Sabo and Shiki

March 24- Thatch

Big lineup, huh? 2 Straw Hat birthdays in a month is gonna be tough! But March is gonna be a great month, and I'll especially see if I can work on my other fics. during March Break! But for now, I'll see you tomorrow for Sanji!


	18. Mar 2- Sanji

When Sanji woke up, he wasn't thinking of his birthday. His first thought was breakfast, then Nami, then Robin, and then guilt about thinking about Nami before Robin, and then guilt for dawdling so much on the two that he hadn't started breakfast for either of them yet. So he got out of his bunk, and trudged to the kitchen. You'd think that the cook would be a morning person, but he was strongly against sunrises and what they stood for. Mornings were so platonic, very much unlike the passionate fantasies of the night he so often indulged himself with. His dreams had gotten so much more vivd since he'd left Kamabakka Kingdom. It was a simmering heat in him that flared at the slightest touch. It was Nami's intoxicating perfume, or Robin's glossy locks. It was a certain… _Il-ne-savait-quoi_. But it was there, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. It had gotten past respect and flirtatiousness to pure disgusting pervertedness. And it definitely made him less of a gentleman.

As he mulled over these unpleasant ideas, he began preparing breakfast. After washing his hands, and much consideration, it was decided that it would be acceptable to spend a bit of their precious flour (such things were difficult to obtain out on the ocean) on some savoury crepes. Eggs were cracked with care into a large bowl, and shells were sent to the compost bin. A frying pan was set on the stove to be heated. A dash of salt was whisked into the mixture, and milk was poured in as well. A cup of flour, melted sugar and butter, and the batter was complete. The mix was divided and poured into the frying pan, one by one. Shortly after, dozens of crisp, thin crepes were steaming on a large plate, waiting to be garnished. Sanji set out the whipped cream, syrup, chocolate sauce, and various other condiments. Then, he chopped up some fresh strawberries and mikans from the Sanji rang the breakfast bell.

"It's ready!" he shouted, "Come and get it!"

Immediately, Luffy bounded into the kitchen, reaching over and grabbing a crepe, stuffing it in his mouth. Sanji winced, noticing his captain's lack of manners and finesse.

"Sanji!" yelled Luffy, "These are good! They're kinda plain, but they're REALLY good!"

"I know they're damn-good! I bloody well cooked them! Now save the rest for you crewmates, will you!" yelled back Sanji.

Robin and Nami sashayed into the kitchen, making small talk as they sat down. Instantly, Sanji was at their service, putting on a large smile and scurrying over to wait on them.

"Bonjour, Nami-swan!" he exclaimed, setting down in front of her a glass a freshly-squeezed mikan-juice.

"Bonjour, Robin-chwan!" he cried, setting down in front of her a steaming mug of coffee.

"Good morning Sanji-kun!" said Nami, as Robin smiled not-so-discreetly.

"How are you lovely ladies doing today?" he asked, dotingly.

"We're just fine," replied Robin, dropping a lump of sugar in her cup, "Thank you for asking, Cook-san."

"No problem at all!" he exclaimed.

"Say," began Robin, "I need a bit of help with something, would you mind assisting me after breakfast?"

"Of course not!" declared Sanji, delighted to be of any help to his female Nakama. Robin gave him a small smile.

"Thank you sincerely," she said, emitting a small giggle.

* * *

><p>Slowly but surely, the rest of the crew began filing into the dining room, chatting and laughing as they took their seats. Soon enough, the plates began looking bleak, and Sanji set to preparing some more food. Finally, when the flour supply had been thoroughly exhausted, breakfast was finished. Everyone (except Zoro, who refused to admit it) agreed it had been a spectacular meal. And it was those small things, those little moments of happiness, which reminded Sanji why he loved to cook. For people. For their enjoyment. For their good health.<p>

* * *

><p>He quickly cleaned up the kitchen, and set out to find Robin. He found her at her garden, watering the plants they'd both grown to love. Sanji for their nutrition, and Robin for their beauty. Originally, Robin had only been growing flowers, but after a convincing talk with Sanji, she'd lent some of the space to several vegetable plants and herbs.<p>

"Hello Robin-chwan!" said Sanji, walking, nearly prancing, to where she stood.

"Hello Cook-san," said Robin, pausing from her chore to look up at him.

"You mentioned earlier a certain task you required help with…" said Sanji, trailing off.

"Ah yes!" said Robin, setting down her watering can and picking up a pair of gardening gloves.

"I was wondering if perhaps you could assist me in pulling the weeds in the garden."

Immediately, Sanji felt something was off. Robin had the capability to do the task in less than a minute, given her Devil Fruit and all. And she wasn't the type to ask for help like this. But Sanji pushed away these thoughts and accepted the gloves she'd given him.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, the task had been painfully completed, and Sanji stood up straight for the first time in what seamt like ages. His back was aching, and though he had used gloves, his fingernails were caked in mud and dirt. He now understood why Robin enjoyed gardening as a simple past time pleasure. The work was strenuous, even for someone with as muh stamina as him. He streched his legs, and began walking towards the washroom.<p>

A hot shower later, he walked onto deck and realised something was wrong. There was no sound, save for the waves crashing against the boat. He tried not to panic, but he started rushing around, looking for his crew.

"Hey!" he yelled, "Come on out you bastards! This isn't funny!"

He set to opening door after door, and finally yanked the kitchen door open.

"SURPRISE!" screamed the crew, jumping out of their hiding place. Sanji screamed, and jumped up, banging his head on the doorframe.

"Sanji!" yelped Chopper, rushing over to his side.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he graoned, holding his head. He got up and sat at the bar, where Nami set down a poorly-decorated and half-eaten chocolate cake in front of him. It read 'H…yB..th...y,.anji!' in blue icing.

Nami sighed.

"We're really sorry, Sanji," she said, giving a pointed glare at Luffy, "but you know how this rubber captain acts around food."

"It's not a problem at all, Nami-swan!" said Sanji, beaming happily at the destroyed dessert. He of all people knew how terrible Luffy was at restraining himself. And besides, it was the thought that counted, right? Luffy wiped his face, and licked his fingers.

"Nami," he whined, "can we just light the candles already? I want to EAT!"

Nami punched him.

"You've had more than enough of your fill!" she yelled, "Let Sanji have some, will you!?"

"I hope you enjoy the cake I've made," said Zoro, a queer grin plastered on his face.

"Err…" muttered Sanji, "It's ok if Luffy wants more…"

"Oh come now, shitty-cook," said Zoro, cutting a slice onto a plate, and stabbing of a chunk with a fork.

"You know you want some…" he said, dangling the chunk in front of Sanji's eyes.

"No, I'm ok, real—" the harsh shoving of cake into his mouth interrupted Sanji. He gagged, but managed to swallow it down.

"Luffy…" he choked, "How did you *gag* manage to eat this?"

Luffy tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" he said, "Zoro's cooking is great!"

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" said Zoro, a glint in his eye, "Maybe we don't even need swirly-brows in the crew anymore…"

"I'd like to object to that notion," said Robin.

"Oh Robin-chwan!" swooned Sanji, "You really do value me!"

"Well, yes," replied Robin, "and it would be just _terrible_ if we threw you off the boat, and you were suddenly lacerated by sharks," she finished with a smile.

"In any case, Happy Birthday, Cook-san," said Brook, placing a skeletal hand onto Sanji's shoulder.

"And just wait till you get your present from me!" he cried, bending down to whisper something into Sanji's ear. Immediately, Sanji steamed up, and his nose exploded with blood all over the cake.

"Oh. No," said Usopp robotically, a grin on his face, "Now. We. Will. Need. Another. Cake."

"What. A. SUPER. Shame." Said Franky, just as monotonously.

"I don't get it," said Chopper pouting.

"They mean to say that the marimo's cooking sucks," said Sanji, who had recovered and was wiping his nose, "here, I'll make another cake."

"But Sanji," said Chopper, "it's your birth—"

"And there's nothing I'd enjoy more on my birthday than cooking for my loved ones. Got a problem with that, Monster?"

"Nope!" yelped Chopper.

"Aww…" said Zoro, creepily, "Am I one of your _loved ones_?" he snickered.

"NO!" screamed Sanji, kicking him, starting a duel.

'Another year gone by, and still they're as childish as they were 2 years ago…' thought Nami, cleaning up the bloody cake. 'But whatever. Zoro's cooking _does_ suck anyways.'

* * *

><p>A.N.:Wow. That was long. But yes! If you couldn't tell, Sanji is one of my favourites. And Zoro sucks at cooking. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! I'll see you tomorrow for Galdino A.K.A. Mr.3!<p> 


	19. Mar 3- Galdino AKA Mr 3

Galdino liked to think himself the smartest of all his comrades. No, not comrades, coworkers. He believed many of them to be insolent fools, strong of course, but not in intelligence. Intelligence was his area, and was the reason he was so high up in his company. It indeed bothered him greatly that that ridiculous okama Betham was higher up than him. 'Mr.3…' he thought to himself. He was comfortable in his position, but he longed to be higher in rank. Or lower in number in the traditional Baroque standings.

He walked over to his cabinet, contemplating over several ways to get a promotion. As he poured himself some Earl Gray, he began listing aloud his options.

"I could capture one of Baroque's biggest threats for Mr.0. That would be sure to please him," he said, blowing over his cup to cool it.

"Perhaps I could create a life size statue of the boss. Now wouldn't that be nice?" He mused, pulling the cup up to his mouth. He drew a sip from the cup, and brought it back down to it's plate.

"Perhaps that ignoramous Bentham could get into an '_accident'_," he said, adding finger quotes to 'accident' while chuckling rather mysteriously.

Suddenly, his door swung open and Bentham pirouetted in.

"Now who is going to have this accident, wa yo?!" he sang, leaping across the room. Galdino became so startled that he flung his tea up into the air. Quickly, he shielded himself with wax, so that the cup wouldn't come crashing down on him. When he heard nothing, he removed his shield and looked around himself. There he saw a mirror image of himself, dressed in Bentham's clothing sipping HIS tea. Galdino, enraged, stomped up to Bentham, slapped him, and snatched his cup away.

"OUT! OUT! OUT!" he screamed, pointing at the door. Bentham touched his face and turned into Crocodile.

"Well, well, well, that's no way to treat the boss, now is it wa yo?" said the fake Crocodile, shaking his hook at Galdino. Galdino had to giggle. It was bizarre to hear these flamboyant words coming from his boss.

"How terrible, Mr.3!" continued Bentham, enjoying the act, "You want to kill off your bestest friend, Mr.2? That's not very nice of you, now is it wa yo?" by this point, Galdino was in hysterics. He hated the okama, but boy was he good at impressions. Bentham began walking around the room with his hook and hand in front of him, acting as claws. He chased after Galdino, who was rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. Bentham grew closer, and closer, and right when Bentham's hook touched Galdino's chin, the door swung open and Crocodile entered.

"Mr.3, we have a few reports of the rebels stock piling weapons," said Crocodile, not yet realising the situation he was in. "Now I know it's your day off, but could you please go investi—"

Crocodile stopped, staring at his double, who was menacingly poking his hook into Galdino's gullet.

"Mr.2…" Crocodile growled, struggling to keep his temper. "What the hell do you think you're doing…"

"Nothing wa yo, Mr.0!" said Bentham, changing back to himself. "Nothing at all!" he said exiting the room and leaving Galdino to the now-fuming Crocodile.

"Happy Birthday, Mr.3…" said Crocodile, mencingly, and Galdino knew from then on, that it would _not_ in fact be a 'Happy' birthday.

* * *

><p>A.N.:I love Galdino, but I probably love Bentham even more (^_^) In any case, this was a fun one that I prepared a long time in advance because I just couldn't wait till before February to write it. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. Especially reviews; they fuel my writing. See you tomorrow for Alvida!<p> 


	20. Mar 4- Alvida

Monkey D. Luffy had absolutely, completely, undoubtedly humiliated Iron Mace Alvida. But somehow, she almost didn't mind. At least now she knew where she stood in terms of strength. Sure, her crew was now questioning that same strength, but she could just bash one of their brains in, and fix _that_ problem easily. No, what really mattered now was her _personal_ strength. And she needed to improve quickly. She'd since joined an alliance with the Buggy Pirate, and was contemplating her choices.

She was lounging around on the deck when one of Buggy's crew came up to her.

"E-e-errrr.." he stuttered, cowering at Alvida's massive form.

"Yes?" said Alvida, raising an eyebrow.

"Captain Buggy t-t-told me t-t-to give you th-this," he said, pulling from his coat pocket a Devil Fruit. It resempled a bunch of grapes, but the grapes were white with purple swirls. Alvida recognized it instantly.

"This is a Devil Fruit, isn't it?" she said, eyeing the cursed grapes.

"Y-y-yes," stuttered the man, "I-It's for y-your birthday g-gift, a token of honour from Captain Buggy"

Alvida sneered. As if Buggy knew about tokens and honour. But nevertheless, she needed to power up quickly, and this would be the perfect way to do it. Other than the fact that she wouldn't be able to swim anymore (not that she'd ever learned how; for _some_ reason she just couldn't float!) a Devil Fruit was an easy way to obtain more strength.

"Alright, what do I do?" she asked the man.

"Captain Buggy said y-you only need a bite. So a s-single grape will d-do."

Alvida plucked a single white orb from its stem. She stared at it for a while, wondering how her life would change. And then she popped it into her mouth. Gagging, she nearly spat it out. It tasted terrible! But she managed to swallow it.

All of a sudden, she felt lighter. She looked at her hands, and felt that they were as smooth as glass. She tried clasping her hands together, but they just slipped off each other. She looked up to see Buggy's crewmate staring at her, dumbfounded.

"It's a miracle," he murmured, unable to look away.

"Get me a mirror!" said Alvida, attempting to pinch herself, and failing, her fingers sliding off her cheeks.

The man returned, holding a jeweled looking glass. Alvida held the mirror to her face. Her freckles had vanished.

"That's it?" she remarked, "From the way you reacted, I'd imagined something better!"

"W-What do you mean?" asked the man.

"Well, all that happened was that my freckles are gone!"

"But you're so beautiful now, and before you were…" he trailed off, sensing the dangerous waters he was swimming him.

"Not as beautiful!" he blurted, completing his mishappen sentence, and making Alvida smile.

'What a bonus,' she thought, 'Slippery powers and improved beauty! You hear horror stories about these things, but I guess I sure got lucky!'

* * *

><p>A.N.: Ech. That was difficult. I don't really like Alvida as a character; to me she lacks depth, which it turn makes it hard to write for her. But nevertheless, I think it turned out ok. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! Seriously, I'd love to hear your guys' opinion! Anyways, I'll see you on March the 6th for Jaguar D. Saul!<p> 


	21. Mar 6- Jaguar D Saul

Saul often regretted leaving the Navy. He often wondered if he'd made a terrible choice. Today was one such day. As he leaned against the brim of the cliff, he pondered on the possibilities of his life had he not chosen to assist Nico Olvia in her escape.

"Saul?" said Robin, her legs tucked into her arms as she knelt on the edge of the cliff.

"Yes?" said Saul.

"Well, you never did tell me something."

"What would you like to know?"

"What's your birthday?" asked Robin, tilting her head.

"Why would you like to know?" he asked her.

"Well I read this book, and it said when you are friends with someone, you must celebrate their birthday. You're my friend, so I want to celebrate your birthday."

Such simple words from the deeply intellectual child, yet they touched Saul deeply. For one who had never know affection or love, Robin sure wanted to distribute it!

"Well, it would have to be March 6th," he said.

Robin's eyes widened.

"But that's today!" she exclaimed.

Saul scratched his head. It had been long since he'd lost count of the days. He looked back at Robin, who now appeared to be in distress.

"But, but," she stammered, "I didn't get time to prepare! I don't have food, I don't have decorations, I don't-"

"Who said you _had to have _food and decorations to have a good time?" interupted Saul.

"The book!" exclaimed Robin, "I need to go by the book!"

Saul sighed.

"Robin, you can't always go by the book. Life will not always go by the book."

"But-"

"No. What's important is that you thought about it. And the thought is what counts."

"What about a gift?" said Robin, "I can still get you a gift!"

"You don't have to…" said Saul, but Robin had already run off.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Robin returned, holding a single flower.<p>

"Here," she said, offering Saul the flower. He smiled and tucked the small peony in a hole on the brim of his hat.

"Thank you," he said; and for whatever reason, right at that moment, he knew he'd made the right choice.

* * *

><p>A.N.: Ah. I suck at dialogue. Saul is a simplistic character, but the compassion he holds runs deep. I truly did my best to express that! Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you on March 8th for Zambai!<p> 


	22. Mar 8- Zambai

"Tamagon! Get a move on!" screamed Zambai. As the round man waddled along, Zambai brought a towel to his forehead and wiped off beads of sweat. It was difficult being the new leader of the Franky Family. Zambai didn't hold the same authority over the group as Franky did, and they tended to get rowdy from time to time. They also procrastinated much more, and it wasn't easy to get them back to work.

"Franky, Fa-Mi-Ly!" cheered Kiwi and Mozu, shaking pom-poms in the workers' faces.

"Kiwi! Mozu! Leave them alone!" yelled Zambai, taking up a piece of wood and placing it on his shoulders. Iceburg had requested several tonnes of wood to be delivered to Galley-La for a large project. And for whatever reason, he'd asked for it all to be delivered today. Which was a near impossible task, but Zambai was determined to complete it.

"If you guys really wanted to help, round up Sodom and Gomorah, would you?" said Zambai, lugging the wood towards the dock. The girls pouted, but obeyed him anyways.

The yagaras had finally been loaded, and Zambai set off to Galley-La with the last shipment of wood. It had been a long day, and he was happy to have finished the job. But when he finally arrived, the sight he saw there shocked him.

"Where's all the wood we delivered earlier?" he said, to noone in particular.

Enraged, he started looking for Iceburg. When he could find him nowhere, he left, exhausted and frustrated. This was a huge setback! How dare that bastard Iceburg take all that wood without any compensation! He urged Sodom to return to the Franky House, defeated and miserable. As the yagaras reached the Franky House, for the second time that day, Zambai couldn't believe his eyes.

The Franky House had been completely rebuilt with all the wood the Franky Family had been asked for! Even the glass in the windows had been replaced! Iceburg stood in front of it all, his arms crossed and looking smug. Zambai dismounted Sodom and ambled disbelievingly to the Galley-La founder.

"You… You," he said, at a loss for words.

"I thought you deserved something special for all your hard work in the past few months," said Iceburg. Gesturing towards the door, he moved aside to allow Zambai to twist the knob and enter the room. The house had been completely refurbished, and was decked with cabinets, machinery, and beanbags.

"Aww yeah!" yelled Zambai, diving to sit in one of the bean bags. He looked back at Iceburg.

"Well?" he asked, "You've been working hard too! Grab a chair, buddy!"

Iceburg sat down, pleased that he'd been able to make Zambai's day.

"You know what?" said Zambai, grabbing a beer from a nearby cooler.

"What?" asked Iceburg.

"This is great and all, but…"

"But what?" asked Iceburg

"You could have just told me instead of making me lug all those stinkin' pieces of wood all the way over there!"

* * *

><p>A.N.: Late! I know! I'm sorry! But I collapsed yesterday from stress and just slept until the next day. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. I'll see you later today for Franky and Mihawk!<p> 


	23. Mar 9- Franky, Mihawk, and Shanks

Shanks wouldn't stop shaking. He hadn't stopped shaking ever since the Whitebeard War. Last he'd seen Luffy, the Gomu boy was being trucked off in some random yellow submarine. Shanks tried to reassure himself that Luffy was alright, but it wasn't easy. He'd heard no word of the trouble-maker in the last year and a half. And considering the Devil Fruit user had been in the news consistently the entire year before the war, this was a worrying development. It was as if he'd just disappeared off the surface of the planet. The Red-Hair crew was just as worried for their captain as they were for Luffy. Shanks had managed to keep it together, but if he went insane worrying about Luffy, his Nakama would fall into disarray. Shanks knew this, and tried to joke it off. "If that rubber hammer is dead, how am I gonna get my hat back?" He would say, chuckling. His crew would stare at him, and instantly he would know that they knew him too well.

More than anything, Beckman wanted his captain to de-stress. It wasn't healthy for him to go on like this. He'd always try think of a way to calm him down, but nothing would ever work. Shanks would just keep pacing, back and forth, until he'd worn down the floorboards in his room.

They were sitting in the galley below deck when they heard the shaking and pacing begin. Thump thump thump pause. Turn. Thump thump thump pause. Turn. Roo sighed. Shanks was at it again. One of these days, he was going to fall straight through the deck. The crew began to pick at their food. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a sword. No one liked seeing their usually confident captain in this worried and crippled state. Everyone had a different feeling about it. Some, like Roo, felt like their captain just needed a break. Others, like Yassop, felt like Shanks should man up and take this in his shivering stride. All felt terrible that they couldn't just magically summon up Luffy to restore their captain's sanity.

Beckman looked at the untouched silver platter they'd all been waiting on Shanks for. The beautiful red velvet cake that Rockstar had prepared was going to waste, and the first mate just couldn't stand it anymore. He brought his dagger to the icing and cut a piece of cake. He whipped out a gold plate, tossed the slice of cake in the air and maneuvered the plate to catch it. He did all this silently as his Nakama looked on. He could almost hear Roo questioning him with his mind, but he silenced him with a single look. He set down the plate to clean his dagger, and then sheathed his blade. He picked up the plate once more, and took meaningful steps towards the staircase His Nakama followed him.

They made their way up to the deck, and what a sight they saw there.

The infamous Dark King Rayleigh was on board, dripping wet and nonchalantly drinking from a small, gold canteen. Their captain had sat down, and was holding his head in his hands. However, his knees were trembling. Rayleigh was looking at Shanks sympathetically. The Dark King tore his mouth away from his drink, and bent down to whisper something in the Red Hair's ear. Immediately, Shanks bolted up straight, and a single tear ran down his face. Rayleigh smiled, and helped Shanks up. They embraced like brothers, and Rayleigh dove back into the ocean. Shanks turned towards his crew, smiling.

"He's alright," their captain muttered. Anyone else would have misinterpreted this as crazy talk, but the Red Hairs whooped and cheered. They gathered around Shanks, and Beckman presented their captain with the cake.

"You forgot, didn't you?" The first mate said, remaining calm, but inwardly ecstatic.

Shanks scratched the back if his head and opened his mouth graciously, allowing Benn to spoon the cake into his mouth. And for the first time since the Whitebeard War, Red Haired Shanks remained still.

* * *

><p>Mihawk had tried many a time to convince Shanks, but the red-haired cabin boy just wouldn't budge.<p>

"Come on, red-hair," the hawk-eyes would say, "we could rule the seas by ourselves! Just ditch Roger already!"

"Mihawk..." Shanks would begin, "You know how I feel about those sorts of things. I've already sworn loyalty to Roger, and even if I were to join, wouldn't just a crew of two be kinda weird?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know... You and your stupid need for nakamaship.."

Shanks laughed and leaned on his mop.

"It's not a need, hawk-eyes, it's a necessity. For me anyways. Now, you gotta scram before Rayleigh gets back, or he'd kill me for allowing an intruder on board."

Mihawk sighed, giving Shanks one last long glance before jumping off the side of the Oro Jackson.

He'd approached Crocodile next.

"What do you need, Mihawk?" smirked Crocodile, looking, the swordsman in the eye. Though the sandman was sat down, he bore an imposing presence that made Mihawk shiver in anticipation.

"I want to join forces with you," replied Mihawk, returning Crocodile's steady gaze.

"You want to be part of my crew?" questioned Crocodile, raising an eyebrow. Mihawk had a small sinking feeling.

"No, I want you to join mine."

Crocodile laughed.

"What crew, hawk-eyes?" he sneered, "Are you telling me you want me to just abandon my men to be part of a 2 man duo? Ridiculous. I'm sorry, Mihawk, but I am an established man. I refuse to go gallivanting back into uncertainty."

"You aren't thinking of the possibilites," said Mihawk, furious at the sandman for patronizing him.

"What possibilities?" laughed Crocodile, "Face it hawk-eyes, you're better off a rogue. If you can't stand having a crew, you might as well not be a pirate!"

That last remark stung. Fascinated with the sea, Mihawk had set out early as a child to become a pirate. But he just couldn't stand crowds and crews, and apparently that's what the occupation of a pirate entailed.

"I won't pretend I fully understand were you're coming from, but if that is what you wish, so be it," said Mihawk, turning towards the exit. His back turnt, he tipped his hat to Crocodile.

"Good day then," he said, walking out of the room, leaving Crocodile chuckling behind him.

Over time, Mihawk had come to accept that he would never be completely comfortable with other humans, and spent most of his time in solitary. Having found a place to call home, he settled in Kuraigana, leaving only to seek out new enemies. And he'd been perfectly all right until two certain pink and green-haired disasters showed up on his doorstep. His world flipped, and suddenly he was running out on errands, scribbling out shopping lists, and doing laundery every other day. Seriously, how many lengths of haramaki could one swordsman possibly need? He longed for his days of solitude, and now spent many a day alone in his room, reading his novels.

And that's exactly what he'd been doing until he heard a crash from the kitchen, and the screams of the tantrumming Perona. Though he did not want to, he dragged himself out of bed and padded downstairs.

"You idiot!" screeched Perona, who was covered in flour, "You were supposed to measure it first! Not just dump it all in!"

"Well maybe I would have known what to do if a certain someone would explain things properly!" shouted Zoro, equally as coated in sugar.

"It's called common sense!" yelled Perona, "Oh wait!" she said, putting a finger to her chin, as if thinking, "YOU HAVE NONE!"

Mihawk rubbed his eyes, and walked up to the arguing pair. Grabbing them by the collars of their shirts, he dragged them to the dining table, and forced them into chairs.

"Explain," he snarled, crossing his arms.

"She's terrible at explaining stuff!"

"He can't follow simple directions!"

Mihawk sighed.

"Zoro," he said, gesturing at his sugar covered hair. "What's all this about?"

Zoro gave Perona a dying glance, to which she solemnly nodded.

"See, we were planning this surprise…" he said sheepishly, "And we kind of… Ruined it…"

Mihawk raised an eyebrow, "What surprise?"

"Well…" muttered Perona, "We were baking a cake… For your birthday…"

Mihawk's eyes widened.

"We're really sorry…" said Zoro, looking at his feet, "Please don't kick us out…"

Mihawk chuckled. The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. And the laugh just exploded into absolute hysteria. Zoro and Perona looked on, nervously, and he patted them both on the back. They took this as an 'ok' sign, and began laughing as well. If anyone had seen the trio, they would have thought that they were crazed. In the midst of the hysterics, Mihawk found himself thinking. About people in general, and nakamaship in particular. And, to his own surprise, he found himself thinking that maybe they weren't as bad as he thought.

* * *

><p>Flam was bored. Like, really bored. Drifting at sea was boring. Luckily he'd found a few pieces of driftwood to drift on; otherwise he'd be dead. Those bastards he used to call 'parents' hadn't even given him a raft! If they didn't want him, they should've just been more careful not to knock his mom up! They didn't have to chuck him over the edge like some sort of beer bottle!<p>

It'd only been a day, but Flam was already feeling thirsty. He'd caught some fish, but didn't have anything to cook them with, so he'd just let them go. He knew that if he didn't find clean water soon, he'd probably die. Or worse, he'd be eaten by Sea Kings. He was somewhat surprised they hadn't attacked him already.

'Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink' he thought. 'How macabre'. He broke off a piece of wood to act as a paddle. He began paddling, but the wood was too old, and too much riddled with holes to get him anywhere. He'd managed about 20 metres when he finally gave up.

"I'm gonna die, aren't I?" he wondered aloud. Any other 9 year old would've panicked and tantrummed, but Flam just lay on his back and watched the clouds go by, wishing he could have done more with his life. Right before he closed his eyes, he saw a mail pelican swoop over him.

"Here!" he screamed, "Over here!"

The mail pelican glided towards him, and dropped a newspaper in his lap.

'What the hell am I gonna do with this?' he wondered, looking at the headline.

"Ha!" he laughed aloud. His parents had been caught, and were being sent to Impel Down. "Serves them right!"

He checked to see the date next.

"March 9th? Hey! It's my birthday! Wow. What a sucky birthday."

Some wind blew towards Flam, and blew away a few pages. He didn't bother scrambling for them, but he got an idea. First, he broke his driftwood paddle into several pieces, and attached them together to make two large poles. Then, using some of his string, he connected the pieces of paper together to make a sail. He attached the sail to the raft, and inched backwards to view his handiwork.

'Perfect' he thought, tightening the last knot. 'Well, almost. It would be nice if I had some canons…' Licking his finger and waving it in the air, he noticed that the wind was coming, and it would be coming hard. He had to make this count.

Angling his boat, he held on to base and soon enough, the gust hit him. The boat bursted forwards, and Flam nearly slipped off. But he held tight, and soon enough, he was going at a steady pace. After 45 minutes of sailing, he began to see the edges of an island.

"Land ho!" he whooped, taking off his shirt and waving it in the air. But as he neared the island, he realised it wasn't any ordinary island. It was Water 7! The dream island his parents had sought before abandonning him! 'What a twist of luck!' he thought.

As he got closer to the harbor, he gazed over the central fountain, and the canals that spewed over it. He gaped at the towering ships, their sails majestic and colorful. He looked at the people walking around, their hair neat, their clothes tidy, and he felt a bit ashamed about himself. He knew he couldn't dock at the harbor, it would be too suspicious, so he made his way around the island until he saw it. The scrapyard. Disgusting and vile to the residents of Water 7, it was a dream come true for Flam. Endless materials to build with, a built in shelter (as soon as he'd built it), it was perfect! 'Well…it could use some canons' mused Flam, before running off to look for scrap metal.

* * *

><p>A.N.: Huge chapter today! Three of the biggest influences on the series on one day! To be honest, I mixed up Shanks's birth month and accidentally put him with Kuma -_-'' But it turned out ok, and I just shifted stuff around. Mihawk, in my opinion, turned out really well. I always wondered why he was a pirate without a crew, so I kinda gave him a backstory. Plus, some awkward Papa Mihawk towards the end for giggles. Franky was awesome. I had no idea I had that idea in me, but it just felt right when it came out. Overall, I'm pretty proud of myself for this chapter! Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! Especially reviews! I would really like to hear from you guys! So if you have a minute, just give me a quick word. It helps a lot with writing fuel ;-) See you tomorrow for Sentomaru!<p> 


	24. Mar 10- Sentomaru

"Now be a good boy and run along with Uncle Kizaru," said Vegapunk distractedly.

"But the Pacifista are still developing," complained Sentomaru, knowing full well that whining would only aggravate the scientist further.

"Which is why we need you to go out there and test them," responded Vegapunk, slowly droppering green liquid into a test tube. "Consider it a research mission."

Sentomaru sighed. He had faith in Vegapunk. The man was a genius. He wasn't at all needed for 'testing'. The mastermind had been pushing him to join the Marine battle force for years. Though he'd been trained in martial arts, he simply had no interest or desire in fighting. To be honest, there was something rather majestic about the thought of eliminating evil to make way for the good, but Sentomaru was more passionate about the sciences. Besides, chasing pirates all over the New World sounded exhausting, and though Sentomaru was no stranger to hard work, his current position was quite comfortable, and he was intent on keeping it.

"Weeelll," drawled Kizaru, tapping his foot slowly, "if the boooy doesn't want to coooome, he doesn't haaaaave to." Sentomaru's heart leaped for joy.

"He dooooes sound like a cooooowaaaard," continued Kizaru, his eyes gleaming, "and the Marines _haaaaate_ coooowaaaards."

Sentomaru's gaze hardened.

"Who's a coward?!" he roared, charging Kizaru. The admiral poked the bodyguard in his forehead, stopping in his tracks.

"Headstrong as weeeeell," he twanged, tutting the boy. "Moooost unfit for puuublic proteeeeection."

"I'll show you public protection!" bellowed Sentomaru, marching outside to the docks and boarding the first ship he saw.

"Yes, yes, thank you," muttered Vegapunk adjusting the heat on a burner.

Kizaru shook out his finger.

"For his laaaack of taaaaact, he suuuure makes up for it with sheeeeer brute. He'll be a woooonderful addition to our fooooorces."

* * *

><p>A.N.: So late. I am so sorry. Tomorrow will be better, I swear. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you tomorrow for Spandam!<p> 


	25. Mar 11- Spandam

Spandam was not having a good day. Though the Enies Lobby incident had occurred _eons_ ago, apparently, people were _still_ talking about about it. It came up in _every _conversation. It wasn't even his fault! Like he'd been telling everyone, those insolent CP9ers were to blame! Especially Rob Lucci! Why that man was so weak Spandam could probably push him over with a finger! What a joke! That Fukuro had no clue what he was talking about. 4000 Doriki? Yeah right! 4 Doriki sounded more accurate!

Spandam was relaxing in bed, trying to enjoy his birthday best he could. He was still in a full body cast, and the doctor had instructed him to rest well, lest he become paralyzed from the waist down. Suddenly, he received a call on his Den Den Mushi.

"Purupurupurupurupuru" rang the snail.

"George!" screamed Spandam, careful not to strain himself. "George!"

"Yes sir!" replied a young marine, running into the room and saluting the chief.

"The phone, you idiot the phone!"

"Sorry sir!" said George apologetically, rushing for the snail.

"Ka-cha" said the snail, as George picked up the reciever.

"Spandam…" growled a familiar voice. The gravelly timbres made shivers run up and down Spandam's shattered spine.

"L-L-L-Lucci?" stuttered Spandam, disbelievingly.

"You know who I am. We will find you, and we swear we will do whatever it takes to destroy you."

And with that, Spandam could decisively say that his day had been ruined.

* * *

><p>A.N.: Not my best. I'll probably rewrite if I get that chance. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! See you on March 14th for Smoker!<p> 


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